Former NBA coach Jim Cleamons discloses the only difference between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan despite being “cut from the same cloth”.
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Off the many all-time greats to grace the league, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant are unarguably two of the greatest players. Both these Hall-Of-Famers are considered to be basketball gods who have completely revolutionised how the game of basketball is perceived.
Both, the Mamba and His Airness, have had successful careers and pretty stacked resumes. Between the two incredible guards, they had 32 All-Star appearances, 26 All-NBA selections, 12 scoring titles, 7 All-Star MVPs, 11 NBA championships, 8 Finals MVPs, 6 MVPs and scored 65,935 points.
Standing at 6-foot-6, playing the two-guard position, Kobe and Jordan had pretty much the identical style of play. Their approach to the game, unique winning mentality, a crazy obsession to perfect their craft, and even dedicating numerous hours in the gym, the two shared a lot in common apart from their gameplay.
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Jim Cleamons discloses the only difference between Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant
Former NBA champion and coach Jim Cleamons is one of the many to believe that Kobe and Mike are cut from the same cloth. However, according to Cleamons, the two did have one difference between them.
“People say they’re cut from the same cloth, they are indeed cut from the same cloth….. The difference is the fact that Kobe is a legitimate assassin, he’s a sniper… he wants the ball he wants to score every time he is tested.”
“I think as Michael grew and realized that he did have help he was willing to get his help involved with an aspect of the team philosophy.… Ultimately, they’re both two fantastic athletes.”
Jim isn’t wrong at all. Mike did start his carer off as a prolific scorer who was required to drop an insane number of points to win games. However, eventually, Jordan got teammates like Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc who helped him take a huge offensive load off his back.
Whereas, apart from having Shaq next to him during the Lakers’ three-peat, the Mamba never really had a reliable second offensive option on his squad. Due to which he always had to be the go-to guy for his team whenever LAL required buckets.
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Irrespective of this “assassin” mentality the two differed in, both these superstars were at the pinnacle of the game at all times in their careers.
